Escape from Helmira: The Great Civil War Prison Escape (Dyna-Tyme Genetics Time Travel Series Book 2)

by Fred Holmes

  He was oozing blood from two of the wounds, and Bunny asked, “How bad is it?”

  “Not mortal,” Traweek said, “but we’ll have to turn ourselves into the Federals to get him patched up. Dang, we came all this way to get caught. All your fault, Injun. Dang, dang, dang!”

  Dee said, “Hold on, I may have an answer.” He turned to Bunny. “Do you have a capsule for me?” “Of course.”

  “Give it to me. I’ll get him the best medical care we’ve got.”

  “You’re not going to send him back to Dyna-Tyme, are you?”

  “What choice do we have. He’ll die of sepsis here. Now gimme that capsule.”

  He took the capsule and went to Crawford.

  “Can you hear me?”

  “I’m so cold, so cold.”

  “I’m going to give you a pill that’ll make you feel better, but you will hallucinate. You know, see strange people and be in a strange place. These people will fix you up and send you back. You got nothing to lose cause you’re gonna die here. Okay? OKAY?”

  “I guess.” He opened his mouth, and Dee dropped the capsule in, and then he swallowed, shimmered, and disappeared.

  * * * * *

  Traweek couldn’t believe it.

  “Now you’ve done it!” Bunny exclaimed. “We’re three people with two return capsules.”

  Erik shuffled his feet. “Worse than that. I just looked in my pouch, and I don’t have a capsule.”

  She joined him and looked in his pouch. Sure enough, it was empty.

  “Well Erik, that’s just great! Apparently Lida, in a hurry to send you back, neglected to put the capsules in your pouch.” She looked around.

  “Where’s your pouch?” she said to Dee. He explained what happened to his capsules.

  She turned back to Erik. “We’ll still have to send you back. Now this is important. When you get there be sure to have Lida send Crawford back to Jenkin’s house with two capsules. One for me and one for Dee. Then we can return to the Woods.”

  Dee told them that Crawford wouldn’t have a pouch.

  She turned to Erik again. “Just have Lida insert them under the skin of his right bicep, and I’ll get them out somehow. Just make sure he comes back with two capsules. Got it?”

  “I got it.”

  “Let’s go then.” She gave the last capsule to Erik. He swallowed it, shimmered, and disappeared.

  Dee looked at Bunny. “We need to move on to Jenkins’ House. We’ll freeze to death if we don’t get some clothes soon.”

  Traweek and Dee pulled on what pieces of ragged uniform they had and gave Bunny the little jacket.

  The three of them huddled around the dying embers of the fire, afraid to put more wood on it for fear of attracting the Cavalry.

  Dee and Bunny lay as close as they could, the freezing temperatures precluding anything but survival.

  The trio survived the cold, and the next morning they crossed the other prong of the river, a mile wide.

  At times, they waded through waist deep water and eventually reached the other side.

  They must have been a frightening sight when they met two young ladies at the gate. Traweek told them they were escaped prisoners and to make way for them. The ladies broke and ran, and the trio continued to the house.

  The old man met them at the door.

  “Come on in,” he said, beckoning them forward.

  They ran into the house and huddled around a bog log fire. They thought they’d never warm up, but the old man produced a bottle of brandy, some food, and warm clothes.

  In fifteen minutes, Traweek had a seventy-five dollar suit presented to him by Miss Jenkins. She said it belonged to her brother, a Captain in the Confederate Army, killed in action. She would be satisfied for Traweek to wear the suit.

  Dee had barely enough strength to explain in 1864 terms that they needed to wait for two more prisoners to show up, and then they’d be on their way.

  The old man seemed to accept this, and they drifted off to a warm sleep.

  Now, all they had to do was to wait for Crawford and two capsules.

  * * * * *

  Doctor Mark accessed the RTSL system and showed Mike the changes he wanted to make.

  Mike chuckled. “That’ll be perfect. A nice little surprise.”

  Mark pressed the download key, and they both smiled.

  Chapter 27

  GARY LEWIS enjoyed his latest job at the Dyna-Tyme Remote Temporal Synchro-nous Link Lab. It paid well and, as an added bonus, he witnessed some historically significant time travelers. He remembered when Stonewall Jackson appeared. One glance into those eyes and there were no more questions about his leadership skills. His men would follow him anywhere. There had been others that impressed him, but even Ernest Hemingway didn’t have the charisma of General Stonewall Jackson.

  Most of the time, he read novels and historical fiction or studied for his nursing degree. Whenever an incoming traveler arrived, they made no noise. There was a bright shimmering effect that lasted about twenty seconds, and the traveler appeared, sans clothes. Gary’s first duty was to cover the person with a large terrycloth blanket, and when the traveler gathered his senses, Gary helped him with a robe and catered to his needs. Some time travelers were cold, so Gary served some of the always-hot chicken noodle soup and threw the robe into a large microwave for 30 seconds.

  Other times, travelers appeared with injuries. Gary was trained to apply first aid and determine whether to call the doctor on duty or not. When in doubt, he was instructed to call. In those cases, he had to call the senior tech on duty.

  Up until a few months ago, RTSL was being used strictly for medical research, tracking down a person’s genetic history. But by examining DNA from corpses, the technicians were also able to find viable DNA usable for constructing overlays for time travel.

  He liked to joke that the fourth dimension was busy lately, and it had been.

  * * * * *

  That day, a shimmering began over the table, and a dirty, unkempt, scrawny man appeared. Gary immediately tossed the blanket over the man. Noticing the obvious wounds, he picked up the phone. Gary’s line automatically connected to the doc on duty.

  “Yes?”

  “Three gunshot wounds; two that look serious.”

  “Apply pressure band-aids and start an IV; I’m ten minutes out.”

  Gary did as told and proceeded to clean the minor wounds, as well as administering a fast body washing.

  Doctor Levine roared through the door as Crawford woke and sat up screaming.

  “Where am I? Is this heaven or hell? It must be heaven; devils don’t wear white.”

  By this time Cindy, the head nurse, had inserted the syringe into the IV and a sedative began to work its wonders. Soon, James W. Crawford of the Sixth Virginia Cavalry drifted off into a much-needed sleep.

  The trauma team had experienced travelers coming in simultaneously, and they began their routine by rolling the first patient out of the way and preparing another ‘landing pad.’

  Soon the second table shimmered, and Erik Stenson materialized.

  * * * * *

  Doctor Mark, Mike, and Carleton arrived in time for Erik’s touchdown.

  Erik sat up. “What in blazes are we doing here? We were supposed to come in at Legacy Woods!”

  “It’s beginning to make sense,” said Mike. He exited the room and returned with a Virginia State Policeman, who pulled Erik’s arms behind his back and slapped a set of cuffs on him.

  “Wh-Wh-What are you doing? Please don’t cuff me!” His anxiety took over, and he started sweating and shaking.

  “Tsk, Tsk, Erik,” Mike told him. “You’re going to hate prison. It’ll go much easier if you come clean and answer all our questions.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Mike turned to the policeman. “Lou, didn’t I hear your radio?”

  Lou pulled the radio on his shirt up so he could hear it better. “I better go out to the car. The c
ar radio is much better than this piece of trash. You all keep an eye on my prisoner, and no waterboarding while I’m gone. Ha, ha.”

  Erik freaked. “What does he mean, w-w-water boarding?”

  Mike picked up a black sack and pulled it over Erik’s head, “Gary, got that bucket of water? Hand it to me. Thanks.”

  “Okay, okay, okay, I’ll tell you what you want to know,” Erik squealed as Mike sloshed the water back and forth in the bucket.

  “And you’re going to tell us everything, aren’t you, Erik?” Mike added. “All about SS&G and Lida Mitushi. No lies? Everything, right?”

  It took about an hour of intense grilling to pry the information out of Erik and record everything. Or most everything.

  They finally pulled off the sack and turned him over to Lou for transport to the Leesburg jail.

  Mike stopped them, “One more question, Erik. Where are Dee and Bunny?”

  You would think that Erik would have learned his lesson, but on his way from amateur hacker to criminal software thief, Erik Stenson had always learned to lie if he thought he could get away with it. “I thought you knew.” Erik bowed his head and lied. “They’re dead. The same volley that got the Rebel killed them. We buried the bodies right there on Jenkins Island. So no one needs to go back. Once you patch up Crawford and send him back, all there will be left are Traweek and Crawford. Rummy will have completed his mission.” To himself, Erik thought, and I‘ll receive Dee and Bunny’s share.

  Mike held the black sack up so close Erik could smell it. “Is that the truth? Lou won’t mind if we take you to jail, even a little wet.”

  “On my dear Mother’s grave.” Mrs. Stenson rolled over for the hundredth time.

  Lou left with Erik, and Mike turned to Mark and Carleton. “That about wraps it up. Once we take care of Lida and Rummy and put in a few more firewalls, we’ll be able to keep out the New Jersey hoodlums. No one will be hacking into or stealing our system.”

  “I have to get up with the chickens. I’m pooped.”

  “Go ahead and go,” Gary said. “I’ll give Mike a ride.”

  Carleton left.

  Doctor Mark hung around for a few minutes. “Dr. Levine, you seem to have everything under control. I think I’ll go as well. I’m parked out front. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “While you fellows were scaring the devil out of that poor boy, I talked to Ralph, and we decided to send this young soldier back. If he comes to in this place, it’s liable to traumatize him for good. I’m going to inject him at the first signs of consciousness. Hopefully, he’ll only be left with a few nightmares. I can handle it. So, go.” Mike yawned and headed for the door.

  “You parked in the garage?” Mike asked.

  “Yep.”

  “Hold up a minute; I need to call Ralph and let him know what’s going on.” Mike got Ralph’s voice mail and left him an abbreviated message explaining the capture of Erik, the tragic demise of Dee and Bunny, and the planned roundup of Lida, Vinnie, and Bruno. He also mentioned the possible problem that Rummy could present. “Talk to you tomorrow, Ralph.” Mike disconnected.

  * * * * *

  There was a slight pause, and Rainey hung up the extension to Ralph’s phone in her apartment.

  * * * * *

  Deep in thought, Ralph sat for a few seconds.

  Just before he hung up, he heard a click.

  Ralph sat up straight and realized, We’re tapped and bugged, as well. He hung up, took his phone apart and, sure enough, there was a tiny silver disk. Ralph carefully replaced it in the phone. Rainy? Maud? Nina? Nina. Yes, that made more sense. It was right in her area of expertise. Tomorrow he would look into this, but it was late, and Ginger hated it when he was late.

  * * * * *

  Rainey immediately called Vinnie and arranged to meet him at the Leesburg Airport Inn. She packed for an extended journey and left a message for her brother to store the contents of her small apartment. Rainey lived light, as if she knew this day would come.

  Chapter 28

  MIKE AND Gary entered the Dyna-Tyme garage from the elevator. In the dimness of the security lighting, they bumped into two Oriental men dressed formally in suit and tie. The younger man held a briefcase in his left hand and his hat in his right.

  “Gentlemen, gentlemen, the building is closed.” When they didn’t stop, Mike stepped into the open elevator and pressed the stop button. Gary was right behind him.

  The older Oriental said, “We were supposed to meet Vinnie here.”

  “Vinnie? Nope. There’s no Vinnie here. You must have the wrong building.”

  “No, no. We buy a system from Vinnie. Vinnie is big boss. He owns Dyna-Tyme.”

  “Nah. I think you have the wrong building, maybe even the wrong town. There isn’t any Vinnie working here.”

  The little men were not happy with that answer.

  They pushed their way into the elevator and one reached for the button. Mike slapped his hand away. The oriental reached in his pocket, and the ‘snick’ of a switchblade opening triggered Mike’s FBI training. He kicked the knife out of the man’s hand and followed it with a hard chop to his neck that dropped the knife wielder.

  In the meantime, Gary produced his snub nosed .38 revolver. “That’ll be all for now, boys.”

  Mike pulled the first man up by the collar, dragged him out of the elevator, stood him up against the wall, and spread-eagled him. Gary directed the second man into the same position.

  “Now you’d better explain what you hoped to steal tonight! It better make sense, or you’ll be in jail twenty minutes after I make a call.” He held up his cell phone.

  “No, no. Please sir, no police. We’re from North Korea and only here to buy the system.” His voice softened and a devilish grin spread across his face. “We can buy from you. You sell it to us.”

  Gary started to refuse, but Mike held up his hand. “How much will you pay?”

  “Two million dollars.”

  Mike whistled with interest. “Man, Gary— that would fix us up.”

  Gary again started to say something, but Mike interrupted him.

  “Sorry boys, no can do. But to avoid an international problem with North Korea, we’re going to let you go. We’ll take you to the airport, and my buddy Lou will see that you board a non-stop flight to Hanoi.”

  They took Gary’s car, and Mike slid in the front. He turned so he could keep an eye on the two Koreans sitting in the back. The older of the two removed his hat and placed it on his lap. The younger man sat the briefcase on the floor between his legs and also placed his hat on his lap.

  They were approaching the airport and started up a ramp to the main terminal when the older Korean spoke. “I am very sick. Please stop the car before I’m sick in the car.”

  Once Gary pulled over, the older North Korean exited the car, bent over, and held his stomach. The other Korean left the car and came around to help his partner. He approached the other man, and they both bowed deeply, uttered a string of unintelligible Korean words, bowed again, and then turned and leaped off the ramp to their death on the pavement thirty feet below.

  Mike and Gary were stunned. They looked over the cement barrier at the still forms lying crumpled on the pavement. It was apparent they were dead or mortally injured.

  “I guess we need to go down and wait for the police and the ambulance.”

  By the time they descended, Mike had called Lou, and he showed up a few minutes later. It was another hour before the bodies were on their way to the morgue and Lou, Mike, and Gary headed for home.

  “I just don’t understand, Mike. I just …”

  “They failed at their mission, and we didn’t give them an opportunity to save face.”

  “Our fault?”

  “No, not exactly. But things happen so fast here, and our customs are so alien to them that they couldn’t find a way to explain how they failed. The money was their final ace in the hole and when we refused it, they couldn’t see how they could go back to their
superiors and tell them we turned down two million dollars. The bridge was their only option. Poor fellows.”

  “I guess it would be hard to explain, but I don’t think I would go to that extreme.”

  “Ah, but you’re not Oriental.”

  “Do you want me to drop you off at your car?”

  “Nah, It’s out of your way. I’ll have Lorna bring me in in the morning. Drop me off at home.”

  The two men rode in thoughtful silence the rest of the trip.

  Mike shut the car door and walked up the driveway, and Gary drove away for a few yards. He stopped the car suddenly, slammed it into reverse, and backed it rapidly up the driveway, spewing gravel.

  The window rolled down, and Gary yelled to Mike. “We forgot something!”

  “What is it, Gary? I’m pooped.”

  “Yeah, so pooped you forgot the suitcase.”

  Mike slapped his forehead. “Take it home and secure it tonight. Bring it to Dyna-Tyme at nine, and I’ll take it from there. You’re the one with the gun. We’re at more risk standing out here.”

  “Okay, Mike, but I don’t feel comfortable with two million in the back. I’ll see you bright and early.”

  Mike waved, and Gary drove off. But not before the little bug in Gary’s car recorded the conservation.

  * * * * *

  Rainey threw her arms around Vinnie. He signed the credit card slip for the Uber driver, and she opened the hatchback on her small car and dropped Vinnie’s bag in the back.

  “Where’s Bruno?” he asked.

  “He’s at Legacy Woods. They found a doctor that would work on him, no questions asked. It’ll be some time before he can travel without attracting attention. Oh, and I heard on the news they found Nina’s body in the river. Did you put her there?”

  “Yeah, I thought I weighted her down well. In any case, we need to get Bruno and head to New Jersey.

  “Do you think he can handle the ride?”

  “Not in this tin can. He needs a comfortable ride to make it there. Let’s get the Caddy and then pick up Bruno.”